I just finished a decent book I found at Goodwill called "The Smile" that was loosely (and fictionally) based on the model for Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. It's actually a young adult book, but I usually prefer those because in addition to prereading books I will allow my little people to read someday, they're devoid of smut and I don't really have to think about them (like a sitcom kinda). It was quite the deviation from my usual post apocalyptic fiction which I currently have no stomach for.

I picked up Rudyard Kipling's "Kim" yesterday and read the first chapter, but, even though I remember it being a really good book (I read it as a teenager), I don't think I have the mental fortitude to read it right now. My brain is tired lately and reading anything difficult that isn't research just isn't happening.

My 14 year old has hinted that she wants me to find the Dune books that are somewhere around here, so maybe I'll reread them along with her in the near future.

I've basically picked up Brandon Sanderson's entire collection, I really needed a ton of fiction and fantasy books to take me away for portions of time from the inanity of the current landscape. As someone who reads very fast, I needed something with a bit more depth and complexity than most books tend to provide and also a length that matched.

Also grabbed some new editions of Wheel of Time among many, many other books. A lot of my money is going to books right now, especially to just have them when they are inevitably destroyed or modified in the future.

Also a few months back got an edition of 1984, Animal Farm, etc.

Wife's reading Madame Bovary, I'm reading Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Not super relaxing outside of reading in general being relaxing.

Definitely want to read more in 2024.